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On a vintage steed, over vertiginous hills of white gravel, suitcase overloaded with courage, BUCKY McMAHON battles through Italy's infamous Eroica—a grueling, 127-mile "period cyclotouristic rally"—in hopes of dying just this side of glory
In the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 31-year-old Asheville, North Carolina-based mountain biker Willow Koerber was among the country's best shots at a medal. But after ranking sixth in the World Cup, and first among Americans, in 2007, she went into an inexplicable slump early last year and failed to make the team. This summer, look for the Subaru/Gary F
He's got seven yellow jerseys. He's not getting paid. He's 37 years old. So why is Lance Armstrong racing again? Because he still has something to prove—and nothing else hurts so good.
Bike-friendly Congressman Earl Blumenauer talks to 国产吃瓜黑料’s Matthew Fishbane.
But heroin, meth, and thuggery are. Can skate pioneer and Dogtown legend Jay Adams set himself straight?
鈥淵ou go ahead and get this race out of your system,鈥 my wife told me. 鈥楤ut I don鈥檛 want to get a call from Butte saying your butt鈥檚 bleeding.鈥
Team Slipstream thinks it can save cycling with a drug-testing program unlike anything else in sports. I wasn't so sure—until I wound up living with their team captain at the Tour of California. Pass the remote.
Flatten your bike tire on a thorn and you can patch the inner tube or swap in a new one—no problem. Damage the tire itself (say, by tearing your sidewall on a sharp rock)—much bigger problem. Here's a quick field solution to keep you on the roll.
I'd like to get a bike to ride the Katy trail. I'm nearly 60 and haven't ridden a bike in years. Should I get a mountain bike or a hybrid? And do you have any suggestions for gear? Phyllis Rolla, Missouri
How badly do professional cyclists want to compete in the fast and fabled pelotons of Europe? So badly that even riders without a prayer of winning big still roll with drugs, lies, and mortal danger. It's a life that can ruin more than a career. Just ask Joe Papp, an ex-pro who lives the doper's nightmare.
A maverick fashion mogul has assembled a team of cycling's most infamous riders. And wait till you hear how he plans to save the sport.
I'm in the military and will be stationed in Aviano, Italy, in June. I would like to purchase a road bike in Italy for half ironman and ironman triathlons. How do I find a reputable bike shop abroad, and what manufacturer would you recommend? Michael San Antonio, Texas
What are the advantages of a full suspension bike versus a hardtail? I bike on trails and roads. Jake Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
I’m a year-round bike commuter and errand runner (this summer I made a tank of gas last four months). However, the arrival of my son has altered my lifestyle. How old does he have to be before he can ride in a trailer? And which trailer do you recommend? I'd like it to convert to a stroller relatively easily. Also, we’d like a double in case we are lucky enough to adopt a second child. Either that or just to accommodate enough groceries. Karin Mountain View, California
I ride in the land of skinny tires and shiny legs. Unfortunately, my skinny tires are shouldering the load of a 220-pound guy and have more than their share of flats. A friend suggested buying a CO2 inflator to speed up tube changes. What should I look for? And can you overinflate a tube to the point you blow out the sidewall of a tire? Larry Long Beach, California
Here, read the winning essay from 国产吃瓜黑料's Seven Cycles contest as well as the four other finalists
I'm a 57-year-old female cyclist who likes long day rides and touring. I have always enjoyed a quick, responsive bike, but I'm now experiencing arthritis and neck pain with the current, fairly extreme, bike configurations. I guess I need a new bike. What type should I buy?
I just starting to mountain bike, and I have no idea how to find the right bike for me. I don鈥檛 do hardcore trails, and I know that I want a hardtail. I have been looking at Marin bikes such as the Palisades and Juniper, but my preferred price is around $550. Have any suggestions? John Auburn, Alabama
Ever since a friend of mine announced that he and his wife wanted to do the next Paris-Brest-Paris bike race (in four years), I have been bitten by the bug and have decided to do it, too. I will be training a lot at night and will need a lighting system. What do you suggest? Gary Denver, Colorado
A nail recently tore a one-inch hole in my nice new Pearl Izumi Ultrasensor bib shorts. The tear is just to the right of center; not on a se. Are these things repairable?
I recently purchased a 1970s Ghisallo ten-speed bike. What can you tell me about this brand? Bob Lebanon, New Jersey
Italy’s Wilier Triestina rose to prominence by making bikes for winners of the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the years immediately after World War II. In recent decades, Wilier has continued to make pro-level bikes for European riders. Now the legendary brand is crossing the pond with…
I've decided to do the Lotoja Classic this year, a 206-mile ride from Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I've done several century rides and the distance doesn't intimidate me (although it probably should), but the elevation does. I live at sea level and there are several climbs over 7,000 feet. How can I best train for the altitude while living at sea level? Thanks!
In our July 2007 Tour de France special, “Stage Fright” we featured a series of stateside rides that mimic those on Le Tour. Here see maps of those rides by clicking on the links below.
Our coverage of this year's Tour includes up-to-date standings, blog entries from our resident cycling fanatic, and exclusive photo galleries from both the race and the mayhem that occurs behind the race. PLUS: Epic rides within the U.S. where you can stage your own Tour.
Read all of 国产吃瓜黑料's recent coverage of cycling's drug problem and the major players in the sport's continuing scandals.
My road bike has been in hiding for months now. But I sense warmer weather right around the corner. Can you walk me through a tune-up? Matt Gloucester, Massachusetts
A year after Katrina crashed the Big Easy's party, former local WELLS TOWER returned to check up on New Orleans's most beloved outdoor escape, the path on top of the Mississippi River levee. But, as he found, biking the high lonesome trail is no longer such an easy thing.
In the March, 2007 issue of 国产吃瓜黑料, Dispatches editor John Bradley sat down with recently-reinstated pro cyclist Tyler Hamilton for a candid conversation with the 36-year-old about coming back from exile. Here, read more of Bradley’s interview with Hamilton where he discusses his court battles, Floyd Landis, and his new team.
国产吃瓜黑料 sports are more factionalized than religion. And I'm feeling like a heretic.
How does a goofy-looking snowboarder become America's most coveted corporate pitchman? If you're Shaun White, you win Olympic gold, stick to your guns, and seek career advice from the king of crossover, Tony Hawk.
ROBBIE BOURDON eats dirt near Kamloops, British Columbia Where were you? Send your photos of misadventure through our So There I Was Entry Form…
It's been said that all athletes die twice. Add to that: unless you're Lance Armstrong. In his first year away from cycling, the seven-time Tour de France winner has raised millions to fight cancer, hosted the ESPYs, become part owner of a cycling team, and trained聴somewhat聴for his first marathon. (All…
Italian cycling legend Ottavio Bottecchia's macabre end remains murky.
I’m looking for a high-top mountain-bike shoe to protect my very badly sprained ankle when I ride. But I want one that’s not a winter boot. Any suggestions? Sean Holyoke, Massachusetts
Name: Paul “P-Rod” Rodriguez Jr. Home: Chatsworth, CA Gig: Skateboarding Height: 5’8″ Weight: 148 Age: 21 Paul Rodriguez Jr. is the first skateboarder to join sporting…
The 2006 Tour de France winner has been accused of doping after an atypical ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone was found in his system
Early last week, Tour de France favorite Floyd Landis dropped a bombshell: The American rider has been suffering from the bone disease osteonecrosis for two seasons and will require career-altering hip replacement surgery after the Tour. The painful condition, caused by a 2003 crash, has hardly slowed the 30-year-old rider…
Discovery Team's sports director Johan Bruyneel and 2005 Tour stage winner George Hincapie on their first year without Lance, the game plan, and how the Americans are looking this year.
If Floyd Landis and his Phonak teammates stumble on the road to Paris, they won't be able to blame their bikes. Built around the most advanced carbon-fiber frame on the market—the Pro Machine SLC01, from Swiss manufacturer BMC—Phonak's $8,600 ride boasts technical gadgetry, wind-cheating designs, and revolutionary materials that make it the en
We could tell you that the Tour de France battle between Germany’s Jan Ullrich and Italy’s Ivan Basso will be one for the ages. Or we could say that brash American Floyd Landis will smoke them both and score another win for the Yanks. Honestly, though, we don’t know what’s…
Two decades after Greg LeMond became the first American to win the Tour de France, the world's biggest bike race is our party now. The only question: How long will we stay?
Tour dominance by LeMond and Armstrong has given the Euros fits for two decades. And if this group of U.S. pros is any indication, their suffering has only just begun.
From his offbeat stunts (he once drank 15 cappuccinos in one sitting) to his anything-goes demeanor (see Exhibit a—the fur coat—on page 4), Floyd Landis is the anti-Lance in every way but one: He'll stop at nothing in his quest to finish the Tour de France wearing the yellow jersey.
An exclusive conversation with Floyd Landis's training adviser
Meet the Champions Club, an elite group of bike-crazy execs who are richer than Croesus, can hammer with Lance, and are donating millions to ensure a gold-plated future for U.S. cycling
All Tour, all the time. Get all your Tour de France updates and exclusive content from 国产吃瓜黑料 Online here.
Two Italian brothers launch a woodworking renaissance in the mountains of Montana
Twenty-four-hour mountain-bike champion Monique Sawicki catches an entire sport by surprise
Our man reports from the scene of the inaugural Amgen Tour of California for what proved to be a major coup for U.S. cycling, with an estimated one million spectators and eight American riders in the top ten.
After beatiing cancer and winning the Tour de France seven times, Lance Armstrong is vowing to fight one more battle. In the face of persistent allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs, Lance says he's had enough - and over the coming months he will confront his shadowy accusers in courtrooms and legal proceedings in the U.S., England, and France. W
My girlfriend and I are heading down the West Coast for a multi-week bike tour this summer. I'm trying to get some good information about the best tires for my touring bike (700c size). We want to be efficient and not get any flats. Can you help me, Gear Guy? David Seattle, Washington
Welcome to the Tour FAQ—find out how the riders go to the bathroom, what all those cycling terms actually mean, what Lance hopes to do after the race, what kind of bikes you can buy to live out your own Tour aspirations, and more...
Is there a "next Lance" in the American ranks? Meet Craig Lewis, a 20-year-old who still has a long way to go but is already turning heads with his physiological gifts and grit.
AS LANCE’S FIVE-HOUR training ride stretches into six and a half, I start getting itchy. I’ve been following in a car, handing up food, drinks, and clothes; it’s for a good cause, but I want to get some exercise, too. It’s nearing sunset as we finish, and I have 45…
As he rolls for number seven, wrap your mind around the life and legacy and farewell Tour de France of Lance Armstrong—hero, dad, six-time King of the World, rock-star arm candy, and (sometime after '06) the next! governor! of Texas!
U.S. Postal redefined how a Tour de France team should be built. But with new riders, new sponsorship, and new demands within the sport, can Lance and his teammates live up to their pedigree and grab a seventh yellow jersey?
From 1996 to 2004, the U.S. Postal Service pro cycling squad, a.k.a. Lance's team, was a veritable Harvard Business School for ascendant cyclists. As lieutenants and workhorses for Armstrong during his six straight Tour victories, these tenacious students learned the tactics, training, and focus it takes to win cycling's biggest competitions. Here's the lowdown
Aside from T-Mobile's Jan Ullrich and CSC's Ivan Basso, few of the riders on the 22 teams lining up for the Tour de France have a legitimate shot at winning the whole thing. But there is still the glory of stage wins and the races within the race—for the green sprinter's jersey and the polka-dot climber's jersey, among others. Whether shadowing Discovery o
Big Moments 1910 Killer Climb It wasn’t until the eighth Tour that race organizers experimented with the first big mountain stages, in the Pyrenees. The 7,000-foot climb up the now legendary Col du Tourmalet took riders along goat tracks barely passable by car. When Octave Lapize, who was…
Why are all biking tights and shorts black? I'm not in mourning! Where can I get more colorful red or blue ones? Rob Fairbanks, Alaska
Dr. Bob Breedlove, 53, one of the country's top endurance cyclists and one of the sport's most beloved figures, died on June 23 while competing in the RAAM transcontinental bike race. Frequent 国产吃瓜黑料 contributor Stuart Stevens trained and raced with Breedlove on several occasions and spoke with him just hours before his death.
What's the best way to train for getting in and out of clipless bike pedals? New to the road bike, I'm also living in a chaotic city and terrified of falls. Thanks a million!
Name: NIKI GUDEX Niki Gudex Home: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Gig: MOUNTAIN-BIKE RACING Height: 5’4″ Age: 26 Gudex is the grit girl of Australian mountain biking. Since joining the national series, in 2000, she’s finished every season but one ranked first or second in downhill. Last year she…
Hideous crashes? Shattered bones? Tyler Hamilton smiles through it all—which is just what he needs to beat you-know-who.
A guy named Lance has a date with history at the 91st Tour. Will Armstrong win his sixth in a row and triumph as the greatest cyclist of all time? Dive into our jam-packed Tour guide and find out why the Texan has no doubt. Then share the pain with…
Don't know a peloton from an echelon? Relax-the Tour is complicated. Here's a fast and light summary of how cycling's greatest race is run.
Holy bitumen! It's Phil and Paul, the excitable Brits who give le Tour its champagne gush.
Eddy Merckx (Belgium) Tour de France 2004 CLICK HERE for 国产吃瓜黑料’s Guide to the 2004 Tour de France, follow the race July 3-25 with our SPECIAL ONLINE COVERAGE.Tour de France Eddy Merckx Age: 59 Tour Wins: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974 Wore Yellow: 96 days…